Angola – Chinese road camp

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Adam

Chinese road Camp N’zeto road Angola. Way point 880 30-APR-12 8:46:17 S7.63193 E13.05642 351mts

The road/track north to N’zeto was pretty crappy nearly 250klms of potholes and several section having Landmines on the edge of the track. We were pretty sure we are not going to camp off road as we have seen to many mines, and red/ white strips painted on bushes and small roadside trees.

Even seeing two huge landmine clearing bulldozers which we tried to take pictures but were told we are not allowed to, on both attempts to take a picture (as we only saw these machines hidden in the forest) guarded by the army we failed only capturing a few feet of video.

The weather was hot the road dusty the air thick and poor Victor was crawling along at 15klm per hour trying to dodge the potholes and landmines….YIKES something just bit me I call out…..Yikes me to Elayne swatting madly at …..Oh….no Tsetse flies swarms of them.

At this speed in Victor with our plastic windows rolled up because of the heat we are sitting ducks for these disease carrying blood sucking buggers.

There was not much we could do except drop our plastic windows and die of overheating. Eventually we passed the band and they do come in bands sometimes a few klms, other times many more.

 

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The Chinese bosses of the new N’zeto road works Angola

How the locals put up with them it’s hard to work out. There are very few blue cloth traps like we saw in Tanzania, this part of the world looks as if it has no traps as far as we could see. Continue reading →

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Benguela to N’zeto

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Adam

Benguela to N’zeto and our Chinese Road Camp

Some places in this section of the trip include Lobito, Balabaiba, Egito Praia, Sumbe, Porto Amboim, Calamba, Palmeirinhas, Belas, Viana, Luanda, Cacuaco Barra de Dande, Zotto, Ambriz and N’zeto just to name a few!

Leaving Luis was again sad but we need to keep an eye on time our 30 day Angolan visa which is disappearing fast as we need to enter the DRC with our 7 day transit visa in current validity. Visas are a problem always pushing you one, sure you can renew them easy in most countries, but we also had the wet season approaching and being stuck in/on some Northern Cameroon road for months was not on the agenda.

Luanda Angola’s Capital was well know for its exorbitant prices and pretty unsavoury conditions for those loving the out-back camping scene such as us. Our plan was to drive through/around in a day skirting the smoking jamb packed city the best we could. The road heading north along the coastline was good and we were making good time.

878 27-APR-12 8:31:38 S10.58273 E13.74902 443 ft

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Spotting even more old steam engines north of Benguela

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More boring photos ….( Elayne moans ) ……well I like them

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Ok…no more rusty steam engines

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Sumbe Angola Continue reading →
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Angola

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Adam
Victor and crew spend our last night in Namibia 8th April Sunday camped nestle alongside our old faithful African camp’s …yes another Micro-wave Tower cooking our brains as we sleep.
A Mobile Telephone Transmitting tower stands high above us.
Left over lakes between Ombatantu and Oshikango
It had been a hot afternoon but we had enjoyed the scenery from Kunene Island River Camp, Large lakes of water lay either side of a muddy dry track filled with water lilies, from Ombatantu to Oshikango these Lilly lakes left over from the wet season would flood and flow into Etosha National Park onwards to the Okavango delta, but this was the end of winter (Their dry season) summer and the wet will arrive soon making these tracks a different story.
Wynand (the campsite owner of Kunene Island River camp) had drawn out a sand map scratched on dry river bank, his deep Afrikaans/Namibian accent was difficult to follow, so Elayne and I took notes …I videoed the whole conversation on our small flip so as not to stray to far from Wynands directions. This was it our venture along the west coast of Africa was approaching fast, as fast as that wet season we hope to miss. Leaving the safety and hospitality we enjoy once again is tough, but we are armed with Wynands knowledge and experience, 2 Angolan Generals mobile phone contacts hours spent over Angolan maps, and some destinations to visit in the far east of Angola. Continue reading →
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Heading to Angola… and all those unexploded mines?

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Adam

W/P 863 S22’ 36.649 E017’ 04.226 Alt 1706mtrs

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Heading for Angola…Breakfast at the Cunene River, Wyand looks back to past relics he used along this border …they now join us at the breakfast table. W/P 865 S17’25.808 E014’09.121

As you can see if you have been able to take some time out and read just a short version of the Namibian events and the genuine wonderful people we have had the privilege to meet, you can’t imagine how tough it is to leave and start the real test adventuring through Africa in a homemade buggy heading north along the west coast, it was tough leaving and the strain was in Elayne’s eye’s as we headed off into the early morning rush hour, the security of Windhoek will be gone, our new friends left standing on the pavement waving good bye their lives continue we may never see them again.

I feel all chocked up and fighting back the tears once again, this time it feels as if our last connection to Southern Africa will be gone. I wave to Conrad and Schantel straining my head, Elayne waving both of us shouting out our farewells above the rush of the morning traffic, bystanders also joining in our Victor packed full to the brim rumbles off into the early morning Windhoek rush hour mayhem. Continue reading →

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